New Hampshire drivers can learn how to be safer on the road with defensive driving courses. These courses offer the opportunity to reduce your driving record points and get a discount on your auto insurance rates. In some cases, you may also be able to dismiss a traffic ticket by taking defensive driving.
Defensive Driving Courses in New Hampshire
New Hampshire drivers will earn demerit points for traffic violations. These points range from two for violations: failure to display or producing a license for an officer to 6 for an aggravated DWI. Drivers who accumulate 12 points in one calendar year will face three months of suspension, 18 points in two calendar years with six months of suspension, and 24 points in three calendar years with up to one year of suspension. Drivers under the ages of 21 and 18 will have lower point thresholds for suspension.
Demerit points are maintained for three years from the violation date, and drivers who are nearing suspension will receive a demerit points warning notice.
To reduce your demerit points, you can wait, as the points will be removed three years from the date of conviction. You can also enroll in a driver improvement program, which will allow you to reduce three points from your points assessment total.
In some cases, drivers may also receive a court order to enroll in the driver attitude defensive driving program. This is usually a requirement of restoring your driver’s license following a court order, administrative hearing, or habitual offender license revocation.
In some cases, courts will allow you to take defensive driving to dismiss your traffic ticket. This is offered on a case by case basis and usually requires working with the judge to obtain permission.
New Hampshire Defensive Driving Course Eligibility
Drivers seeking to reduce their demerit points will need to verify eligibility with the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles. Typically, you’ll need to meet these eligibility guidelines:
- drivers must hold a valid New Hampshire driver’s license
- drivers must have accumulated at least three demerit points
- drivers may be restricted from taking the defensive driving course for points reduction to a certain number in a given time period
If you’re interested in reducing your driver’s license points by enrolling in defensive driving, contact the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles to verify your eligibility. Keep in mind that if you enroll in the course before verifying your eligibility, you may not get credit for the course, and no refunds will result.
If you plan to take defensive driving to get a traffic ticket dismissed, you’ll need to work with the court to obtain permission, as defensive driving dismissals are offered on a case by case basis. Do not enroll in defensive driving before receiving permission to do so from the court, as you may not get credit for completing the course.
New Hampshire Traffic Ticket Dismissal with Defensive Driving
If the court permits you to use defensive driving to dismiss your traffic ticket, you will be given instructions for completing the requirements. This will typically include a deadline for taking the course, as well as instruction on how you’ll need to notify the court that it’s complete — usually by returning a certificate to the court.
It’s essential that you carefully follow the court’s directions for completing defensive driving, as failing to complete the course on time or not turning in the certificate can result in not having the ticket dismissed. That means the ticket will be added to your driving record along with demerit points, as well as a fine and likely, higher insurance rates.
Defensive Driving Courses Available in New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s defensive driving course will help you learn how to be a safer driver with resources for improving your driving abilities. This can reduce your risk of being involved in an accident, traffic violation, and other incidents on the road.
Your defensive driving course in New Hampshire will be between four to eight hours long, and you may be able to enroll online or in the classroom. Typically, schools will allow you to complete the course in one session or multiple sessions. If you take the course online, most schools will enable you to log in and log out as many times as you need to until you’re done with the course.
Every school develops its own curriculum so that each course will be slightly different; however, you can expect all New Hampshire defensive driving courses to cover the same basic curriculum. Typically, you’ll learn about topics including:
- defensive driving techniques
- predicting the actions of other drivers
- avoiding collisions and other incidents
- avoiding dangerous driving habits such as drinking and driving, road rage, distracted driving, and drowsy driving
- managing challenging driving elements such as heavy traffic, inclement weather, accidents, and construction
- the proper passing technique, following distance, and maintaining a safe speed
- dealing with road emergencies
- using your vehicle’s safety features properly
- safely maintaining your vehicle
- following current New Hampshire traffic laws and regulations
Defensive Driving for Car Insurance Discounts in New Hampshire
New Hampshire drivers can reduce points and potentially dismiss traffic tickets by enrolling in defensive driving. Still, you don’t have to wait for a traffic violation to get started with a defensive driving course. You can enroll in defensive driving to simply improve your driving skills and stay safer on the road. And doing so comes with a bonus: auto insurance companies will often offer a discount on premiums to drivers who have voluntarily completed a defensive driving course.
New Hampshire Defensive Driving Insurance Discounts
As in many other states, New Hampshire drivers may earn a discount on auto insurance premiums each month with a defensive driving course. Your insurance company may offer you a discount on liability premiums of 5% to 20%. Typically, you’ll get a discount of about 10%, which can represent hundreds each year.
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New Hampshire Defensive Driving Insurance Discount Eligibility
There are no state restrictions on driver eligibility for defensive driving discounts. That means it’s up to individual auto insurance companies to set their policies for who is eligible to earn a discount. You may find that your insurance company makes the discount available to all drivers or discover that it’s only available to elderly or new drivers or drivers with a clean driving record.
Be sure to check with your insurance company for eligibility before enrolling in a defensive driving course to earn a discount. Most will offer you a free quote if you’re not a customer yet. This will help ensure that you will be given a discount when you complete the course and let you know how much you can save by completing the course.
Be careful not to get started on your defensive driving course before verifying your eligibility, as you may not get credit for completing the course if you’re not eligible. Defensive driving schools will not offer a refund of course fees in this situation. However, if you’re not eligible for a defensive driving discount with your current insurance company, there’s always the chance that another insurance company will offer you the discount — so consider shopping around if you’re not currently eligible.
Insurance Defensive Driving Courses Available in New Hampshire
Enroll in New Hampshire’s insurance rate reduction defensive driving course, and you’ll learn the same excellent curriculum that’s offered to drivers seeking a points reduction or traffic ticket dismissal. The course will help you improve your driving skills and safety on the road. That means you’ll be less likely to be involved in road incidents such as collisions and traffic tickets.
Defensive driving schools will set their own curriculum, but they must be based on the same general topics as others in the state. You can expect to learn about the following defensive driving topics in your course:
- avoiding collisions and accidents
- developing safe driving habits
- avoiding driving distractions
- using your vehicle’s safety features, including seat belts, car seats, airbags, and anti-lock brakes
- maintaining your vehicle safely
- dangerous driving habits such as drunk driving, drowsy driving, distracted driving, and road rage
- predicting driver actions
- defensive driving techniques
- a review of New Hampshire’s traffic laws and regulations
Enroll in a New Hampshire Defensive Driving Course
Enjoy the benefits of completing defensive driving in New Hampshire. Sign up for a defensive driving course in our directory today to reduce points or save on insurance.